India’s star shuttler PV Sindhu and her coach remain stranded at the Dubai airport after flight operations have been suspended because of the ongoing conflict involving the US, Iran and Israel.
The two-time Olympic medallist was travelling to Birmingham to participate in the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championships, which begins Tuesday. Sindhu was supposed to take a connecting flight from Dubai, which was a transit halt. Now, her arrival to take part in the tournament remains doubtful after flight operations have been suspended at the Dubai International Airport.
After Israel launched attack on Iran on Saturday, Tehran has retaliated with missile attacks targeting US military bases situated in the middle-east region.
Sindhu took to X and described her ordeal “scary and tense”, and said the explosions were heard where the passengers were seated in the airport. She said her coach had to scurry for cover as she was closest to the smoke and debris.
“The ordeal continues to unfold, and the situation is becoming more frightening by the hour. A few hours ago, there was an explosion close to where we were holed up at the airport. My coach had to quickly run out of the area as he was closest to the smoke and debris. It was an extremely tense and scary moment for all of us,” she wrote on X.
However, in the same X post she confirmed that they have now been moved to a secure location. She also thanked the airport staff, local authorities and the Indian High Commission in Dubai for their assistance.
“We are all safe now and have been moved to a more secure place, thanks to the tireless efforts of the staff at Dubai Airport and the Dubai authorities. A special thanks as well to the Indian High Commission in Dubai for their incredible support and constant assistance in helping keep us safe. For now, we are trying to get some rest and hold on to hope as we wait for things to settle,” she added.
As reported by Reuters, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) was contacted for a comment on the uncertainty surrounding the All England Open, which begins Tuesday. However, BWF declined to issue a statement outside business hours.
